BC-APFN-Business News Digest

May 14, 2018

Here are AP Business News’ latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT.

TOP STORIES:

TRADE-US-CHINA CONFLICT — A dispute between the U.S. and China over the Chinese telecom company ZTE may have given the Trump administration unexpected leverage in its drive to avoid a trade war. President Donald Trump’s surprise overture to put ZTE “back in business” after U.S. sanctions threatened the company’s existence came just as Beijing sent a top envoy to Washington and American companies lined up to plead for a resolution to the dispute. By Paul Wiseman: UPCOMING: 800 words by 3:30 p.m.

With:

UNITED STATES CHINA-ZTE — In a surprising overture to China, President Donald Trump says he would help a Chinese telecommunications company because too many jobs in China are at stake after the U.S. government cut off access to its American suppliers. SENT: 1,150 words, photo.

TECHNOLOGY COPANIES-ZTE — A slew of technology companies are climbing in early trading after President Donald Trump appeared to lobby on behalf of ZTE, a Chinese telecom company that has been sanctioned by the U.S. SENT: 140 words.

EUROPE-ELECTRIC HIGHWAYS — Some of Europe’s biggest automakers are out to remove the anxiety from the electric car consumer experience by building a highway network of fast charging stations. By David McHugh. SENT: 990 words, photos.

MARKETS & ECONOMY:

FINANCIAL MARKETS — U.S. stocks moved broadly higher as investors hope for reduced trade tensions between the U.S. and China. By Alex Veiga. SENT: 750 words, photos. UPCOMING: Will be updated through 5 p.m.

INDUSTRY:

SEARS-SALE — Sears Holdings Corp. says a special committee of its board is starting a formal process to explore the sale of its Kenmore brand and related assets. By Anne D’Innocenzio. SENT: 170 words, photos. UPCOMING: Will be updated.

VENEZUELA-CONOCOPHILLIPS — A court on the Dutch island of Curacao has authorized the local subsidiary of U.S. oil giant ConocoPhillips to seize $636 million worth of assets held on the island by Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA. SENT: 340 words, photo.

JAPAN-SONY-PEANUTS — Japanese electronics maker Sony Corp.’s music unit is buying a stake in Peanuts Holdings, the company behind Snoopy and Charlie Brown. By Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 330 words, photos.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES-EMERGENCY LANDING — Some passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight from Denver suffered minor injuries when the plane appeared to suddenly lose cabin pressure as it neared Dallas. SENT: 120 words.

MARIJUANA TO HEMP-CBD BOOM — A glut of pot and low prices for it in Oregon are prompting some growers to switch to hemp to cash in on soaring interest in the CBD extract from it that is a health craze. By Gillian Flaccus. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-READYJET — A former cleaner with a Logan International Airport subcontractor that cleans airliners, ReadyJet, is alleging on-the-job sexual harassment in a complaint filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. SENT: 140 words. UPCOMING: Will be updated.

ELIMINATING TRANS FATS — The World Health Organization has released a plan to help countries wipe out trans fats from the global food supply in the next five years. By Mike Stobbe. SENT: 780 words, photos, video.

IMMIGRATION-EMPLOYERS — Immigration officials have sharply increased audits of companies to verify that their employees are authorized to work in the country, signaling the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration is reaching deeper into the workplace to create a “culture of compliance” among employers who rely on immigrant labor. By Elliot Spagat. SENT: 690 words, photos.

SMALLBIZ-GET STARTED — As Starbucks reviews its restroom policies, other businesses may decide to limit access to “customers only.” They have the legal right to do so in most cases. By Joyce M. Rosenberg. SENT: 720 words.

SUPREME COURT-SPORTS BETTING — The Supreme Court struck down a federal law that bars gambling on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states, giving states the go-ahead to legalize betting on sports. By Jessica Gresko. SENT: 6209 words, photos.

SUPREME COURT-CAR RENTAL — The Supreme Court said that people who borrow rental cars from friends or family are generally entitled to the same protections against police searches as the authorized driver. By Jessica Gresko. SENT: 350 words.

ROCKPORT-SALE — The Rockport Group will sell its assets to private equity group Charlesbank under a bankruptcy plan as the shoemaker struggles to compete in a tougher retail market. SENT: 140 words.

TECHNOLOGY & MEDIA:

FACEBOOK-PRIVACY SCANDAL — Facebook is suspending about 200 apps that it believes may have misused data. SENT: 130 words, photos.

GERMANY-EMAIL ENCRYPTION — Germany’s cybersecurity agency says German and Belgian researchers have found a way to outwit two widely used forms of email encryption. SENT: 130 words.

CBS-NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS-LAWSUIT — CBS is suing its controlling shareholder as part of its long-running attempt to avoid a combination with Viacom. SENT: 130 words, photos.

DISNEY-LYFT DRIVERS-UNION — The drivers are summoned by a Lyft app. They are expected to entertain with storytelling as they whisk passengers around Walt Disney World in what are known as “Minnie Vans,” named after Minnie Mouse. And now these drivers can be represented by a union. By Mike Schneider. SENT: 370 words.

AMAZON-SEATTLE TAX — After weeks of tense and raucous meetings, a divided Seattle City Council is voting Monday whether to tax the city’s largest businesses to raise money to fight homelessness. SENT: 540 words.

EARNINGS:

EARNS-NISSAN— Nissan Motor Co.’s profit fell 32 percent in the last quarter from a year earlier as a strong yen, rising raw materials costs and research expenses bit into earnings, the Japanese automaker reported. By Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 360 words, photo.

PERSONAL FINANCE:

NERDWALLET-LIZ WESTON-RETIRING ABROAD READINESS — Retiring abroad can allow people to live more cheaply, but you’re likely to be unhappy if that’s the only reason you relocate. People who do well abroad need a sense of adventure and a sense of purpose. Having a spouse who’s fully on board helps, too. By NerdWallet columnist Liz Weston. SENT: 750 words, photos.

INTERNATIONAL:

TAIWAN-HOMEBUILT WEAPNONRY — Taiwan is seeking to build-up its domestic defense industry in the face of China’s warnings and the reluctance of foreign arms suppliers to provide it with planes, ships, submarines and other hardware to defend its 23 million people. By Ralph Jennings. SENT: 930 words, photos.

GREECE-BAILOUT — Bailout inspectors have returned to Athens as Greece races to comply with the final terms of its rescue program, which ends in August. SENT: 130 words, photos.

FRANCE-STRIKES — French train traffic is widely disrupted as rail workers prepare to hold a union vote on the government’s plan to revamp the national railway company SNCF. SENT: 130 words, photos.

CROATIA-RESIGNATION — Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Martina Dalic has resigned after private email exchanges were published showing an alleged conflict of interest during the restructuring of the country’s largest private company. SENT: 410 words.

GERMANY-ECONOMH — The International Monetary Fund is calling on Germany to use the “still sizable fiscal space” in Europe’s biggest economy to increase public investment. SENT: 130 words, photos.

MONEY & MARKETS SUMMARY:

SPOTLIGHT

Place your bets

Shares of casino and racetrack operators climbed after the Supreme Court struck down a federal law that bars gambling on football, basketball and other sports in most states.

CENTERPIECE

Ransomware: ‘first among equals’ in cyber-threats

Among cyber-threats, ransomware attacks are growing in frequency and getting more sophisticated. Ransomware detections by businesses rose 28 percent during the first quarter of 2018 compared to the previous three months.